Flat panel electronic displays have become very popular due to their compact size, desirable aesthetics, and superior performance. The inherent form factor and weight advantages of these displays have made large screen sizes economically and practically feasible, leading to rapidly increasing demand for these large screens.
Often, it is desirable to mount a flat panel display from a fixed structure such as a wall, ceiling, column or other structural feature. Consequently, specialized mounts have been developed to enable displays to be mounted from fixed structures, while also enabling selective positioning of the display for visibility or convenience.
One of the desirable aesthetic aspects of flat panel displays is the flat appearance of the display when mounted on a wall—resembling a framed photograph or painting. In order to enhance this flat appearance, it is desirable for the mounting structure to enable the rear side of the display to be mounted as close as possible to the wall surface. While very low profile fixed mounts have been developed, it is often desirable for the mount to enable selective positioning of the display. Such positionable mounts typically are thicker in depth and result in the back of the display being mounted further from the wall surface. For such mounts, it is desirable for the mount to be attached in a recess in the wall surface.
In-wall recessed mounts are typically disposed in a recess formed in a wall between the wall framing studs. A limitation of the present in-wall recessed mounts is that they are typically constrained to being centered between adjacent studs. It is rare, however, that the most desirable location for the mount is precisely centered between studs. Usually, the optimal aesthetic location for the display will be at a point that is closer to one adjacent stud than the other adjacent stud. In order to avoid these constraints and achieve the optimal location, a stud must often be cut and framed in much the same manner as framing in an opening for a window. Such framing can be an expensive modification that is both time consuming and messy in an existing structure.
Some prior adjustably positionable mounts include various arrangements of brackets and arms to enable tilting of the display screen. Examples of such tilt mounts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,363 to Boele and U.S. Published Patent Application No. US20020033436A1 by Peng, et. al.; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,101 to Dittmer and 7,028,961 to Dittmer, et. al., each hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
One advantage of flat-panel electronic display devices over CRTs is the appealing aesthetic of a very shallow device that resembles a framed photo or painting when mounted on a wall. As this aesthetic advantage has been achieved, users have become more discerning about aesthetics in general, desiring ever more accuracy of positioning of the display on a particular wall, and desiring the display to be positioned ever closer to the wall, while still retaining full positioning capability for the display.
There is a need then in the industry for an in-wall mount that may be centered at any lateral location between framing studs.
Previous mounting solutions have sometimes enabled the mounting arms or other apparatus to be stowed in an enclosure in the wall in order to enable closer positioning of the display to the wall. A disadvantage of these prior solutions, however, is that the in-wall enclosure must be attached to the wall studs in order to support the weight of the display, and thus the position of the in-wall enclosure is typically limited by the location of the wall studs. Enclosures have typically been made in a width to fit a standard stud spacing (e.g. 16 inches O.C.). This results in a large in-wall enclosure that may be unsightly. In addition, such enclosures cannot be installed in locations where the stud spacing is not at the standard width without cutting or relocating the studs, possibly compromising wall structural integrity and/or causing disruption and expense.
Where prior in-wall enclosures are narrower than the stud spacing, they typically have been attached to one or the other of the adjacent studs. This limits location of the in-wall enclosure to locations proximate studs, which may not be optimal for aesthetic purposes.
Further, prior mounting solutions, while sometimes enabling the display to be selectively positioned at a distance from the wall assembly, have typically experienced significant sag at greater distances from the wall, due to the significant weight of the display. This sag problem can be especially acute for heavy plasma displays, and can be unsightly.
What is still needed in the industry is an in-wall display mounting solution that addresses the drawbacks of prior in-wall display mounting solutions by enabling easy positioning of the display mount at nearly any position on a wall and that also counteracts display sagging when the display is positioned at a distance from the wall.